A friend just sent me this – a Seamus Heaney poem displayed in a New York subway station.
The poem is Scaffolding:
Masons, when they start upon a building,
Are careful to test out the scaffolding;
Make sure that planks won’t slip at busy points,
Secure all ladders, tighten bolted joints.
And yet all this comes down when the job’s done
Showing off walls of sure and solid stone.
So if, my dear, there sometimes seem to be
Old bridges breaking between you and me
Never fear. We may let the scaffolds fall
Confident that we have built our wall.
This was one of the very first poems that Heaney wrote, and as he explains in this short video where he also reads the poem, Scaffolding was written as an appeasement to his wife following a disagreement:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNYBwF7lKLA
It is now two years since Heaney’s death in 2013. His last words, Noli timeri, texted to his wife and which mean ‘do not fear’, are reminiscent of his words to her in Scaffolding, at the beginning of their life together, ‘Never fear’. Heaney’s gravestone has recently been erected in his native Bellaghy:
‘Walk on air
against
your better
judgement’
He continues to inspire…
CQ
Living through the Arts 
Thanks. Heaney was a true poet who gifted us works which are a treasury of beauty and wisdom. Regards Thom.
Hi Thom. I agree! Many thanks for this, and also for reading some other entries :)
I aim to catch up more later. hope you will see whats been going on here. regards Thom